Baguio’s economy bullish /A press conference at BSU

BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

BAGUIO CITY – Panagbenga or Flower Festival indisputably had become Baguio’s top tourism crowd drawer aside from the Christmas and summer seasons.

           

This early, hotels are having a good time with their cash registers ringing. Those who have houses are also trying to get a slice of the pie by opening up their residences to transients. 

           

Business is bullish just like the Christmas season when more than one million foreign and domestic tourists flocked to this Summer Capital during the Christmas and New Year breaks and contributed around P5 billion in the local economy.         

According to Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan, around P5 billion had been circulating around the local economy during the Christmas Season which means local businessmen will be paying more taxes to the city government resulting to more revenues for the local government.

           

From around 300,000 vacationers that visited the city last year during the Christmas and New Year breaks, Domogan said the city’s tourism office recorded a 30 percent increase following almost 100 percent occupancy rate of the over 250 members of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB) aside from the 98 percent occupancy rate of over 700 registered transient houses in barangays.

           

He said most tourist came up to Baguio to experience chilly weather and its scenic sites and activities.

           

Contributory to the city’s chilly mornings and afternoons, according to Dr. Salvador Olinares, weather specialist of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), was the overcast skies -- part of the effect of the active northeast monsoon and stronger cold front.

           

Every local tourist spends at least P2,500 per day of stay in the city while their foreign counterparts are said to spend P5,000 per day, exclusive of lodging, the city’s top executive said, thus local businessmen overshot their projected income during the Christmas break because of sudden surge in tourist arrivals.

           

He added the city is still ready to welcome visitors considering almost all hotels and transient houses were fully booked since November.

           

Anthony de Leon, general manager of Baguio Country Club and president of the HRAB, also admitted tourist arrivals November to this month were almost double than the previous  year during the Yuletide season considering improved road conditions among other new attractions like the Christmas Village and new shops within Camp John Hay such as the Ayala Techno hub and children’s playground.

           

Dispatchers at the Victory Liner, Dagupan Bus, Philippine Rabbit, Genesis Bus, PARTAS Bus and other jeepney and bus stations servicing the Baguio route disclosed influx of tourists considering interval of arrivals were 10 minutes while departures were five minutes.

           

This, as Dr. Florence G. Reyes, city health officer, reported a slight increase in the number of individuals suffering from diseases such as cough, colds, upper respiratory diseases among others this year compared to the previous years.

           

From the usual 50 individuals who sought medical attention daily from the start of the month, Reyes said the number of individuals seeking early medical attention had increased to around 60 daily although most of those suffering from the cold day diseases are children aged 1 to 10 years old.

           

Aside from keeping themselves warm during the day, Reyes also advised local residents and vacationers to eat a balanced diet to maintain their health and prevent them from contracting diseases.

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I attended a press conference at Benguet State University in La Trinidad, Benguet a few days ago where speakers included BSU president Dr. Ben Ladilad with his vice presidents Percyveranda A. Lubrica for academic affairs, Dr.  Alfredo C. Tipayno for administration, Dr. Luciano A. Villanueva for research and extension and Dr. Jones  Feliciano for corporate and business affairs.     

           

The speakers explained programs of the new administration like getting more funds for expansion projects. There were some contentious issues brought out by the media like why a trade fair was allowed on BSU grounds which Feliciano explained was a project of the Student Council. He said the council earned P90,000 from the venture which would be used to fund their activities.

           

Another was on Ladilad being branded “absentee president of the year” by a local publication. The president explained that he had to spend some days out of the university since he had to do schooling in Manila as required of state university presidents. Aside from this, he had to attend meetings outside the province like in Manila with national government officials to discuss funding among others for the school.

           

If the one who made the item asked first and got the side of the BSU president as journalism ethics dictate, then he wouldn’t have been needlessly tarnished. Oh well, but what is new in media?

           

Anyway, congratulations to officials, staff and students of Benguet State University on its 27^th charter anniversary.